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AUTOMATICALLY OPERATIN 0 MERA' SHUTTER.

No. 363,967 m Patented May 31, 1887.-

N. PETERS. PhotwLillw vbur, Waoingten. DJ

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM GUNN PRICE, OF NE\V ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONF- HALF TOMENARD K. BOVEN, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATICALLY=OPERATING CAMERA-SHUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,967, dated May 31,1887.

Application filed January 10, 1987.

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM GUNN Peron,

a citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, in the parishof Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Aut'omatieally-Operating OameraShutters; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an apparatus for opening and closing theshutters or opaque covers of the outer lens of a photographic camera.

The novel means employed in my invention whereby the time for exposureof the lens is governed and adjusted by the escape of an from theoperating-chamber of the said de vice are fully described in thefollowing specification and covered by the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of my inventionas applied to the lens end of a camera. Fig. 2is a vertical section inthe line as roof Fig. 1, the operatingcylinder being shown in outline.Fig. 3 is a detail view of the aforesaid adjusting device, a part of itbeing in elevation and part in sec;

tion.

A in the drawings represents the lens end of a photographic camera; B,the lens, (shown by a dotted circle;) 0 O, the shutters; D, theair-cylinder, and E the air-compressor. v

The shutters G G, which may berof an ysuit able construction, are, bymeans of their arms c c and pins 0, pivoted to the lens end A of thecamera, as shown, so as to move in a vertical plane away from and towardeach other. The arm 0 is provided with an upright pawl, 0,

the upper end of which is reenforced by a hard steel plate, 0 in orderto prevent rapid wear. The respective arms 0 c are provided with aspring, 0, and the tension of these springs holds the shutters closed. Aconnecting-rod, 0 connects the forward portion of the 'arm 0 with arearward extension, 0 of the arm 0', whereby the motion of both arms andboth shutters is rendered uniform from and toward the center of the lens13. The

shutters are provided with coneussionlugsf 0 f,- which, when theshutters are thrown open, come in contact with elastic bumpers F F,suitably fastened to the lens end A, and by this construction the forceof the momentum of the opening shutters is modified or ab- 5 sorbed, andthus the inconvenience from sudden jars on the mechanism, as well asnoise, is overcome. The positions of the open shutters are indicated bydotted lines in Fig. 1, and the pawl c is shown- (also in dotted lines)engaged with a steel plate, 9, forming a step, on the left arm of alever, G, pivoted at g to the lens end A of the camera. I The right armof said lever is provided with a spring, fastened at one end to a pin, yin the lens end A of the camera, and thus the right arm is always raisedand the left arm is always held in contact with the pawl c". \Vhen theshutters are being opened the pawl c glides along the plate 9, andarriving at the end of the same lodges behind the step 9, and thusprevents the shutters from being drawn together again by the spring 9prematurely, as will be hereinafter described.

The arms 0 c and lever G are moved against the tension of the springs cand g by means of an operating-rod, H, fastened to an elastic diaphragm,h, (or a piston,) of the air-cylirr der D, and guided by means of aneyebolt, h", both the cylinder D and eyebolt h being suitably fastenedto the lens end A of the canr era. This rod H is provided with two lugs,[L3 It", so plaeed'that the upper lug, h at its least altitude depressesthe right arm of the lever G, and thus disengages the left arm and thepawl 0*, as shown in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2, and the lower lug, If,at its greatest altitude has moved the arm 0 to the position shown indotted lines in Fig. 1.

The rod H is movedinto the described positions by the descent and ascentof the central portion of the diaphragm h, which descent and ascent areproduced by a varying pressure of air within the cylinder D and by aspring, 7L5, fastened to a lug, h, of the rod H and a pin, it, of thelens end A of the camera. Air is LII supplied to and withdrawn from thecylinder D by means of the air-compressor E and a number of escape-ventsconnected therewith, as will now be described.

Along thin flexible tube, d, connects the cylinder D with a rubber tube,d, lined with leather, as shown at d in Fig. 3. The tube d is fitted toa metal tube, d, having vent-holes d, and by sliding the tube d moreorless over the tube d a greater. or less number of ventholes d will becovered up and rendered inactive, while those left open will serve asthe operating-vents. The tube (1 is suitably fastened to theaircompressor E, and the tube d is held to it by means of the frictionofa wellfitting leather lining or packing, which renders the union ofthe said tubes airtight without ofl'ering great resistance to themovement of the tube (1 upon the tube (1, and without liability of itsbecoming fastened upon said tube by chemical action,whieh would occur incase a rubber tube were used in contact with the metal tube (1.

The rod His held in its lower position by means of the spring If, and inorder to prevent the rod H from being moved to too great a height anelastic bumper, h, is suitably fastened to the lens end A of the cameraat a point which will properly limit the upstroke of the rod, and thus,as the rod cannot rise higher than necessary, the mechanism operatedthereby cannot be disarrangcd, and noise will be prevented \Vhen allnecessary arrangements have been made previous to taking a picture, thelens B is covered by the shutters O C, and the mechanism appearsadjusted in the position shown in full lines. The operator now adjuststhe tube d upon the tube (1", leaving as many vent-holes d exposed asare necessary to exhaust the air from the apparatus within a propertime, according to his judgment,'determined by practice with theapparatus. He now takes the air-compressor E in his hand, and from asuitable position observes the person whose likeness is to be taken, andat the proper moment quickly compresses the compressor E, whereby thediaphragm 7t and rod-H are raised and the shuttersC O are opened andheld open by the lever G and pawl c, as described. While the operatorholds the air'compressorE tightly compressed in his hand, the airescapes through the vent-holes d left open, and the diaphragm h 'and rodH descend until the lug h" comes in contact with the lever G and movesit into the position shown by full lines in Fig. 1, whereby the pawl cis relieved and the shut tors are drawn together over the lens by thespring a. The length of time which the shutters remain open will be justin accord ance with the number of escape-holes 01* of the tube d whichare left uncovered'say, for instance, it will remain open six seconds itone hole is exposed, five seconds if two holes, and four seconds ifthree holes are exposed. In practice the ordinary thumb-operated pinchair-cut-ofl" valve may be applied on the rubber tube (1 above tube (1 asan adjunct to the apparatus herein described, and a piston work ing in acylinder, D, might be used in lieu of the diaphragm h for oscillatingthe rod H.

I am aware of the state of the art asillustrated by Letters Patent No.342,693, and make no claim for anything embraced by said patent.

What I claim is 1. The combination of the connected arms 0 0, having theshutters attached to them, pawl c, and springacted lever G,substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination, with camera-shutters and suitable intermediatemechanism, of the air-cylinder D, diaphragm h, or its equivalent, rod H,having lug h, and the springactcd lever G, substantially as and forthcpurpose described.

3. The combination, with the camera-shutters C C and suitableintermediate mechanism, of the air-cylinder D, diaphragm 71, red H,having lug h, and the arm a, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

4. The eombination,with a suitable camera shutter, of arm 0, lever G,rod H, having lugs h h, spring h, and air-cylinder D, having elasticdiaphragm h, or its equivalent, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

5. The combination of the air-cylinder D, elastic diaphragm 71 or itsequivalent, and 0s cillating rod H, with the elastic bumper h,substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. The vertically-oscillating camera-shutters O 0, havingconcussion-lugs f, and provided with arms 0 c, pivoted at c a",connected by the rod 0 and the spring 0, in combination with the elasticbumpers F, substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. The combination, with the air cylinder D and shutter-operatingmechanism, substantially as described, of the tube d", having a. seriesof vent-holcs, d, which can be used either singly or plurally at thewill of the operator, the sliding tube d, connecting-tube d, andair-compressor E, substantially as and for the purpose described' 8. Incombination with the air-compressor E and tube d, having a series ofvents, the sliding tube d, having leather lining, 11, substantially asand for the purpose described.

9. In an automatic pneumatic shutter opener and closer for cameras, anadjustable air-escape device comprising a series of vents, or theequivalent thereof, and suitable mechanism for operating the shutters,whereby the shutters are opened and kept opened for a given length oftime and then-closed, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signatu re in presence of two witnesses.

\VILLTAM GUNN PRICE.

Witnesses:

Hucuns J. Litvnncnn, M. O. SONIAT.

